Code Pink in DC & Peace Rally in Asheville

Code Pink has been doing some great work in DC and I am thinking of joining them. The Washington Post made a video on them (now that it is fashionable to report on anti-war demonstrators) and it is a great little video.

We had a Peace Rally here in Asheville last Saturday, with 550 people attending. We do a count by handing out stickers to all attenders. I was expecting more people this year, but it was about the same as last year. We had a great line up of speakers and musicians, with only one speaker being someone I did not agree with. He was recommending we send more troops to Afghanistan, because that is where are 'real enemies' are - and in truth, the Afghan people are no more our enemies than Iraqi people - WE are our enemies! And our behavior is making new enemies every day!

But I found the Asheville Peace Rally rather dispiriting. I think it was because of the hassles from Asheville Parks and Recreation. It seems we were supposed to have ANOTHER permit for the rally, from the Building Safety Department. We already had a permit from Asheville Parks and Recreation, but there is some additional permit. The night before the rally I was told we could not have any "structures" at the rally. Janet Dack, of Asheville Parks and Recreation could not tell me exactly what a "structure" was - and if it including folding tables and small tents for sunscreen. I think they were expecting us to build a stage, which we had no plans to do. I was told that we would need a building permit if we built risers over 8 inches high, but we did not build anything.

Anyway, they pretty much acted like a**holes and I pretty much was sarcastic with them. I was sarcastic with the stupid guy from EMS who wanted to know what our group would do if there was a weather emergency before the rally (anyone with any sense would stay home) and what we would do if there was a medical emergency (watch them die, maybe?) and he also wanted a map of the area of the rally - the front of city hall - for the police and fire department. If you don't know Asheville, you might not know that you can walk out the front door of the police and fire departments and look to your right and see city hall. Why they would need a map is beyond me........

This put me in a bad mood for work. I work for the state of NC, and we are required to do lots of a**hole stuff - like hand people appointment letters after they show up for their appointment. And refer them to a "Family Support Network" (a group for parents of children with developmental delays) when they have normally developing children. Normally, I act quite patient with such out and out stupidity - since my job requires me to get along with the very people who think these stupid things up - but I had no patience for it this week.

I will write more on the Peace Rally sometime next week. I will probably be writing more on Asheville Parks and Recreation and the other silly departments to be found in this city.

I don't know how the reasonable people elected to City Council put up with this nonsense day after day!!!

The picture above came from Friends Council on National Legislation.